


Fae Wild

by Lacrow



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: F/M, Mild Blood, Rating May Change, Romance, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 22,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23773492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lacrow/pseuds/Lacrow
Summary: Desperation sets in for a hungry loner wandering the streets one hot summer night. At his wit's end and with no other doors to knock on, he sets his sights on the one house in the neighborhood with lights still on. Little does he know that the easy dinner he hopes is waiting for him just beyond the door will turn out to be anything but.
Relationships: Maka Albarn/Soul Eater Evans
Comments: 13
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based off a prompt by reddit user George_S_Patton_III

"Please, can I use your phone? I'll be in and out, swear on my sister's life-"

He didn't have a sister, nor did this particular home-owner have a gullible bone in their body. The door in front of him slammed shut faster than he could finish his sentence and for what felt like the fifteenth time that night, Soul was left with an angry warning to leave lest the cops would be called. With a halfhearted click of his tongue, Soul did an about face and sauntered off into the evening road. He said nothing, the only sound signaling others to his presence being the ghastly rumble of his stomach as he wandered aimlessly towards his next destination.

Soul hadn't had any luck in this neighborhood. Admittedly, he knew all the reasons why; a stranger with a hoodie on in the middle of the night asking to come into someone's home was beyond suspicious and threatening, but it was all he had at the moment. With each echo from his stomach, Soul was painfully reminded of his current predicament. It'd been almost a week since he'd last eaten. For those like him, such a span of time between feedings would normally be a death sentence. Luckily Soul had weaned himself to live on only the bare minimum, but even then the effects of starvation were starting to take their toll. His judgement was cloudy. He was desperate. And with each passing minute, he could slowly start to feel himself slip away into that eternal sleep that people like him dreaded.

He just needed a little blood. One good, long, drink. Hell, he'd even settle to wet his tongue.

It was summer. He figured teenagers would be outside causing trouble late at night, or some health crazed nut would be doing their marathon training or something. To Soul's bitter dismay however, everyone was still inside. It was nearly 10 o'clock, and yet he hadn't seen anyone out and about for close to two hours. He remembered when night time equaled playtime, but then again that was a long time ago. Perhaps the times were changing. Well, of course they were, but he didn't think they'd changed _that_ much. Otherwise he would have taken his chances elsewhere. Somewhere more promising. Somewhere with more _food._

His stomach rumbled again. Soul threw his head back and groaned at the full-moon sky. His desperation was increasing, and yet he had no idea what to do about it. He was at his wits end this time. He scanned the area ahead of him and his heart sank; almost all the houses were pitch-dark, not a single light on anywhere in the house. He couldn't believe that this many people were turned in on a _weekend,_ and in the middle of _summer_ no less. So much for trying to hit up the fancy neighborhood. All he had left was one measly house at the very end. The porch light was on. He had to take it.

With a sigh and slightly woozy swagger, Soul made his way slowly to the door. It was a two-story house in the middle of a cul-de-sac, and it looked plain and unassuming. There were no decorations anywhere, not even so much as a doormat. The only noticeable thing about the place was the giant tree in the middle of the front yard. Its roots were thicker than most other trees' trunks, and its limbs cast themselves damn near close to the neighboring house. It would have struck Soul as odd, but he had no room to talk. He was a vampire, after all. Besides, he was too tired to care much at the moment.

Soul didn't even bother to come up with a story this time. He knocked on the door as soon as he arrived and figured he'd just do whatever. All he had to do was to get the guy to invite him in; that was vampire 101. If the homeowner let him in, Soul could grab a drink and run out before anyone was the wiser. Otherwise, he'd be stuck standing around with his thumb up his ass. He'd been lucky enough to not have the cops called on him yet, but he had a sneaking suspicion that if this venture didn't turn out fruitful then he should just cut his losses and try to find another area to feed.

Soul's ears twitched when the door creaked open. Before he even could see who it was, he started to spout off some nonsense about his car breaking down and needing to call AAA. About halfway through his bullshit however, Soul stopped mid-sentence. Standing in the lit porch way before him wasn't a man like all the others, but a girl. Well, woman, but she was tiny. Tinier than him, anyway. It actually caught him off guard, since most get their husbands or boyfriends to answer the door so late at night. This time, though, this blonde lady just threw it open without hesitation.

Green eyes. Long hair. Tank top. Shorts. It was a welcome change of pace for his tired eyes, which at this point was used to seeing older men with hair nearly as white as his own. Suddenly, Soul felt a little more self conscious. He made sure his hood was tightly secure to hide the fact that his locks were paler than snow, and he ducked his head just a little bit to hide his equally off-putting eyes. Blood red, like the liquid he was do desperate to taste right now. There was nothing he could do about his fangs, however. He had to talk, and if they showed through while he spoke then, oh well.

"Where's your car then?" she asked plainly, crossing her arms.

It took Soul a minute to realize she had heard everything he'd said, and now he had to backpedal and continue on with the story. That was a little hard to do however, since he could tell right off the bat that this woman could see through his lie. It wasn't that his delivery was off; he was usually very smooth at talking and could generally get whatever he wanted out of people, but for some reason that just didn't seem to work on this girl. Her warm, almost solid green eyes were jarring. They seemed to look at him the same way he looked at people; as prey. He liked it.

"...Don't have one," he readily admitted. Soul threw up his arms in defeat and surrendered almost immediately.

"So you're either here to rob me or rape me," the woman crossed her arms defiantly. She didn't let up when Soul shook his head.

He couldn't help but grin at her audacity. She wasn't afraid of him. Ultimately that was stupid on her part, since there was no way she could know for sure that he _wasn't_ here to do those things to her, but he respected her fearlessness all the same. He opened his mouth to try and salvage a way to come inside, but ultimately he was betrayed by his own bodily functions. The moment his lips parted, a bestial rumble escaped from his belly. The sound was accompanied by pangs of hunger, and again Soul was taken off guard. He suddenly found himself double over, clutching his stomach in a vain attempt to stop the hurting.

"Fuck," he hissed to himself, not even caring that the spotlight was still technically on him.

"...You're hungry, I take it?" he heard the woman ask from the door. Soul shook his head yes, as if on autopilot. "Are you homeless?"

A light went off in Soul's head. He had an opportunity, and he took it. "If I had a home, do you think I'd be out here begging for scraps like some kind of sorry animal?"

Soul looked up; not all the way, not far enough to where she could get a good look at his eyes. He rose just enough to where he could only see her midriff, and he focused on that. He figured if he could make himself look pathetic enough, she might take some pity on him. Invite him inside for a quick bite, literally, and then send him on his way. That was the hope, and he prayed to whatever god there was out there that she was gullible and stupid enough to fall for it. He just needed her to say the magical words that would let him-

"-Come in for a sec," she informed him with a sigh.

Soul froze. He creaked to life a moment later, but by the time he'd lifted his head up she had already wandered back inside. Another growl erupted from his stomach, and it reminded him not to blow this golden opportunity. Immediately, Soul shot straight up and went for the door. He put one foot through there first, just to make sure that he'd heard right. His toes went past the threshold no problem, and the blood in his veins started to pump with excitement. The rest of him followed inside, and the next thing he knew the door was closed behind him. He was in.

He wanted to find her. Pin her down. _Drink_ her. That was the vampire in him. The still somewhat decent side of him, however, told Soul to wait a minute. Take it slow. At least take a second to breathe. He sucked in air and scanned the entry way. There were a couple pictures of the woman with various people hanging on the walls, and some leftover mail collected neatly where her keys were. Soul picked up one of the envelopes, finding it addressed to the name _Maka Albarn._ Maka, eh? At least now he had a name to go with the face.

 _"The kitchen is this way!"_ he heard the woman call out from around the corner.

Soul perked. With one final deep breath, he resolved himself to get this over with. He took off towards the sound of her voice, and he quickly found her in the kitchen. Her head was in the fridge as she rummaged through shelves for food to give him. A sitting duck, ripe for the picking. Soul pulled his hood back, revealing long, spiky threads of fair hair. His red eyes shone underneath the light of the overhead kitchen lamp. His mouth parted, revealing rows of sharp teeth ready to sink themselves into her open flesh. His stomach gurgled. It was time.

Soul took one, maybe two eager steps forward. His aim was to do it quickly and he practically lunged in his advance, but before he could go through with it he froze. Suddenly, an aroma hit his nostrils that stopped him dead in his tracks. A scent that he had no intention of sniffing was somehow very much present, and its presence threw a giant wrench into his plan. Soul's eyes grew wide as, at the same time, the woman named Maka pulled herself from the fridge with some leftovers in tow. She closed the door behind her with her back she smiled at him.

"You alright?" she asked sweetly, handing him the plate, "You look like you've just seen a ghost or something."

"...Not a ghost, per say..." Soul remained statuesque, completely taken aback by the predicament he now found himself in "...More like, _a fae_...?"

Maka smiled even wider. This lady...wasn't a lady. At least, not the kind Soul would have messed with had he known better beforehand. But the hunger had dulled his senses and his judgement. Luckily he had come to before finally pulling the trigger, otherwise things would have turned out much worse for him than simply turning to ash from lack of blood. Even now, Soul found himself retreating from her presence. He took a couple steps back, but she merely stepped forward. He slunk. She rose taller. Soul frowned. Maka smiled brighter.

"It's not blood," she informed him while handing him the plate, "but vampires can eat Chinese food, too, right?"

"Not when they haven't fed in a week," Soul growled. He initially went to swipe the plate away, but then stopped himself, "I mean...yes, thank you."

He had to watch himself. She was a fae, which meant that her home was technically part of the fae realm. Just like there were rules with being a vampire, there were rules with being a fae. Most of _her_ rules, though, affected other people. Case in point, Soul had come across enough ill-fated vampires to know that if you disrespect a fae in the fae realm, i.e their home, you become bound to them as their servant, _p_ _ermanently._ It was a fate that he had no intention of meeting, and so he would be on his best behavior in the meantime. Just until he could get the hell out of there in one piece.

"A week?" Maka's replied incredulously as Soul took the plate from her halfheartedly. "Shouldn't you be dead by now?"

"Yeah, well, guess I'm just stubborn," he growled back with little bite. He ripped the saran wrap off the plate and immediately began to dig in.

The food tasted like clay. It held no appeal or flavor for him at the moment. All he wanted was blood. Anything else would taste disgusting, but he had no other choice. He had to eat the food, otherwise it would be disrespectful and, well, that was something he'd very much like to avoid. It did nothing for his stomach, and it felt like he was simply eating cardboard. The display seemed to do nothing for Maka's sympathy, however, as she continued to smile at him. Suddenly, he didn't seem to like her all that much now. Then again, he _did_ just try to eat her for dinner.

"What's a fae doing in a nice house like this?" he inquired, letting some of the food fall from his mouth in disgust, "I thought you all were hippies and artists?"

Maka wrinkled her nose, "Not all of us. I help manage my friend's business, and the money's good. Besides, I was never one for art or music."

"Shame," Soul pushed the plate away from him. He'd eaten all that he could without throwing up, "Even I learned how to play the piano."

Maka blinked. Then, she started to laugh, "Pfft! Sure you can. I haven't met a vampire yet that can do anything except drink blood and take up space."

Soul's eyes narrowed. He was ready to mount a counter argument, but was met with a knowing look from Maka. She silently reminded him of his place in her home, and he slowly backed off like a scolded mutt. At first, Maka seemed to enjoy the power she had over him. Soul conversely lamented it, but a thought started to grow in the back of his head. Slowly, at first, then it began to fester quickly. He thought back to all the things he knew about fae; disrespect against a fae in her home was an egregious sin, but they were _also_ expected to show the same consideration to their guests.

"...Y'know," Soul mused aloud, a devilish grin splitting his face, "That comment sounded very disrespectful to someone like me, who happens to be a vampire."

At first, Maka merely raised a brow in response. Soul, meanwhile, continued to grin at her smugly. They both stared at each other this way until, finally, Maka seemed to understand what Soul was getting at. Her eyes immediately grew wide, and at that moment Soul took his queue. The second her face broke, he took an eager step forward. Maka barely had any time to react.

"I didn't mean _you_ when I said that!" she spat out frantically, putting her arms out in front of her, "It was just a slip of the tongue!"

Soul halted his advance. Maka had stopped him, for now, but she'd also just proven his theory correct. His grin was still there, this time out of amusement for having almost beat her at her own game. If you disrespect a fae in their home you become their servant, but if _they_ disrespect _you_ then their magic becomes null and void. This meant that her little leash over him would only last so long as she accommodated his requests. If she didn't, well, the Chinese food wouldn't be the only thing he'd get to eat that night. He just had to be sure to listen to her the same way, while also making sure whatever he asked of her wasn't too outlandish. Fae were tricky like that. Luckily, he was pretty good at navigating these sorts of things. It was almost fun, in a way.

"Listen," Soul started, "I'm going to die if I don't leave here with at least a little blood. I don't think that would bode well for either of us...or am I wrong?"

"Why on earth would that not bode well for me?" Maka growled back. "If you die, then I get my house back and I can move on with my life!"

Soul tapped his nose knowingly, "Yeah, but a good host wouldn't let her guest die from starvation. In that sense, me asking for blood sounds like a reasonable request, right?"

Maka's eyes grew even wider, if that were possible. She finally seemed to be getting it. Soul leaned back and crossed his arms in satisfaction, a smug look plastered across his face as frustration seeped into Maka's. She knew as well as he did that faeries without magic were basically regular old humans. If she lost her magic by not not heeding his request for just a _little bit of blood,_ then she'd end up losing a whole lot more in the long run once he was through with her. He wouldn't _kill_ her, god no. But she didn't need to know that right now.

"You're asking a lot from a generous host," Maka recited evenly, as if quoting some kind of faerie law book, "which in itself is fairly disrespectful."

Soul narrowed his gaze; he realized he was going to have to get crafty. "You invited me in with the intention of feeding me. I'm still hungry."

"If you're still hungry after I provided you with food, then that's your problem!" Maka growled back, "You can't have any of my blood!"

The hair on the back of Soul's head stood on end. He could sense it almost immediately; something in the room had shifted. It wasn't just him, either. At the same time, a chill ran up Maka's spine and she immediately backed up until she hit the refrigerator. They both seemed to sense the sudden disappearance of...something around them. Like half the air in the room had disappeared. A wall that had previously kept one of them from jumping the other one was now nowhere to be found; her magic was gone. Temporarily, but that's all Soul needed.

Soul hesitated. He stared at Maka with sanguine eyes, and she froze under his gaze. Her calm attitude was nowhere to be found, and it was instead replaced with shock and horror. A hungry vampire was the epitome of a sadist. That look on Maka's face only made him spring on her faster. In a moment, what little blood remained in his veins surged to life and his heart beat faster than it had in weeks. He was finally going to eat. Within the blink of an eye, he was on her. Before Maka had time to react, Soul had her pinned to the fridge.

She struggled. She kicked. She spat venom in his face, but his adrenaline was an almost impossible thing to overcome. Soul held her fast and shoved her head out of the way with his own. Soon, he was in position. Her exposed neck, right there for the taking, begged to be drained. He parted his lips to reveal drooling fangs, and came within mere inches of bringing them down on her to feast on the one thing that could finally give him some relief.

Really, he should have already been drinking. Typically feedings go very quickly, but two things were slowing him down. The first was that, despite how strong he might have seemed at the moment, he was still very weak from lack of blood. The second thing, however, kept him from biting her outright. He hesitated before fully going through with it, over something that seemed stupid in hindsight. A familiar sound, one he'd heard many times before, ended up being the only thing that kept him from just eating and leaving like he'd planned on doing all along.

A whimper, followed by the sound of quiet sobbing.

Mouth wide open, Soul remained frozen above his prey. He could feel the heat coming off her neck, and the warmth was enough to illicit an angry call to action from his raging stomach. Soul cringed from the feeling, but he just couldn't bring himself to go through with it. The shoulder of his hoodie started to become wet with Maka's tears. They soaked him and, despite his best efforts to forget about them, only served to remind Soul that what he was doing was wrong. He knew it was, he always did. It's just that...this time it seemed more so than usual.

She was a creature just like him, part of a world that humans didn't know about. He was a vampire. They were outcasts, parasites, predators, you name it. Sure they were romanticized in pop culture, but at the end of the day they were slaves to their own hunger. Maka was a fae, though; they were pleasant, beautiful, and fun to be around. His polar opposite. Maybe he was supposed to hate her for that, but he didn't. In fact, he respected her because of it. Compared to the humans he'd fed on, she was different. In more ways than one.

But he was hungry. He couldn't leave without blood. Again a hunger pang wracked him, and again Soul fought back the urge to clamp his teeth down. Maka continued to cry into him and the more she did, the less he found himself willing to go through with it. Even starving, Soul had his dignity. If it didn't feel right, it didn't feel right. He wouldn't become any more of a monster than he already was. Instead, he'd do something else. It took him a fraction of a second to come up with an alternate plan. One that he wouldn't lose sleep over.

With one, long, tremulous breath, Soul sucked in air. He pulled himself away from the crook of Maka's neck quickly, as if to prevent himself from having any second guesses. He put some distance between the two of them, but still he kept her pinned to the fridge. Maka gasped in surprise, not understanding why she hadn't felt anything. For a moment she thought he'd already had his fill, but quickly realized that he'd never even bit her in the first place. She stared at him in search of answers. He'd give her one, but not with words. Not yet.

He took her left hand. It was clenched; he unclenched it. She resisted somewhat, but honestly had no idea where Soul was going with this. She just gazed, dumbfounded, as he brought her hand to his face. He singled out her thumb and in one motion, sliced it open with one of his sharp teeth. Maka hissed in pain from the deep gash, but said nothing. Words escaped her as she watched him lap up the blood that flowed like water from her finger. Their eyes were locked on one another, both equally unsure of what exactly was going on.

He had her right where he wanted her. He could've sucked her dry and yet...he was taking only meager drops. Even so, Maka could see the muscles in his face twitch. He wanted more, craved it, but for whatever reason refused to slash her anymore. Part of her was still disgusted by the display, while the other part of her wanted answers. She needed to know what was going on, which he couldn't give her while he fed. So she stood there in quiet confusion, and waited for him to take his fill. He closed his eyes, as if put off by her staring.

It lasted like that for a few minutes. Then, once the cut started to run dry, he pulled away. "My name is Soul Evans...I became a vampire two hundred years ago."

"Why didn't you bite me?" Maka demanded to know. She completely ignored him, and instead only wanted answers.

Soul frowned. He shook his head, "Listen, whatever you think you know about vampires, I can say with all honesty that...you're probably right."

Maka tilted her head. Again she didn't know what to say, and Soul seemed to be able to tell. He leaned over towards her, and Maka right away flinched from his presence. He didn't go in for blood, however, and instead took a finger and wiped away a stray tear from Maka's face. She recoiled almost immediately, and quickly realized that her cheeks were covered in salt water. She took her sleeve and did her best to wipe it all away. Soul smiled somewhat, which only caused Maka to purse her lips in angry annoyance. What was this guys deal?

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't get any pleasure out of this," he continued, "I'm sorry."

Maka narrowed her eyes at him, "You're crazy if you think you're going to get any sympathy from me!"

Soul shook his head and sighed deeply, "Not sympathy. Not even forgiveness, really. I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

"If you're so sorry then, why do it in the first place?" Maka shot back, still angry, "You've done this for two hundred years, right? Why feel remorse now?"

"I'm just...scared of dying, I guess," Soul replied pensively. His response took Maka off guard, along with this follow up, "Don't fae have to eat in order to survive like we do?"

Maka hesitated. The answer was, of course, _no._ Fae didn't have to eat anything at all, really. They really didn't even have to sleep all that much, either. Just a couple hours a day. The rest of the time they were always awake and free to do whatever they wanted, since they didn't have to eat to survive. They could have a meal if they wanted to, but it wasn't like with vampires or other creatures. They never grew old. They never had to worry about disease. They were basically...eternal. They could be killed, of course, but really that was it.

She figured Soul already knew that. He continued without a response from her. "I feed off other people and I hate it. But I also don't want to die, so I keep doing it."

"Then just...!" Maka readied a nasty response, but ultimately couldn't bring herself to say it. She trailed off as she looked up at Soul's somber face.

Those red eyes of his, the eyes of a vampire, seemed much more guilt ridden than they had previously. Maka would have called bullshit on him long before if it weren't for those eyes. That look of his was a hard one to fabricate, and she could tell that he genuinely didn't want to look at her right now. He kept staring at the fridge behind her; still looking in the same direction as her but outright refusing to meet her directly. It was at that point she started to entertain the idea that maybe he wasn't lying.

"Listen, I've got a humble request from an invited guest," Soul revealed.

Maka blinked, "I don't have my magic right now. You don't have to follow my rules."

"It's your house," he muttered back, "Magic or no, I'm gonna respect you and your rules regardless."

Maka bit her lip and nodded. Soul scratched the back of his head, "...I really am homeless, y'know. I wasn't making that up-"

"-You can't stay here," she cut him off immediately, already seeing where this was going. She raised a brow when he shook his head, however.

"I'm not asking to room with you. It's just that, I don't have a family or anything. I see other vampires on occasion, but they're all assholes. I just was wondering..."

Soul took a deep breath, "...If I can maybe come over every once in a while and we can chat? You don't even have to invite me in, I can just hang out on the front porch outside."

Soul looked away, already anticipating Maka's immediate rejection. He knew the request came completely out of left field, which is why he wholeheartedly expected her to refuse him outright. He couldn't tell Maka's answer just from looking at her face, though; he found only a blank expression staring back at him. His question probably broke her, and now she had to reset and wonder just what the hell was going on. That was fair, Soul reasoned. He couldn't really blame her for that. After all, he'd nearly made her his dinner. If she was smart, she wouldn't agree to any proposal he'd give her. The thing was, though, he really wanted her to say yes.

He was alone. Such was the case with being an undying creature, but even more so when you eat other people for sustenance. He'd met other vampires but, again, they were assholes. On top of that, they were few and far between. Maka was the first fae he'd come across in person, and simply her _existence_ was enough to give him a little bit of...hope, maybe? She was like him; eternal, youthful, and yet better than him in every way. She didn't need to hunt people. She was a productive member of society. She had friends. She was...a person.

Unlike him. Unlike every other vampire he'd come across. Soul's internal monologue ran rampant with every confrontation he'd got into others like himself and played in fast forward like a highlight reel. He sighed bitterly as he looked down at his hands and found them stained from his feeding moments ago. All this to stay alive, and even then it wasn't enough. His stomach still rumbled, but he wouldn't take anymore than he needed to. He'd weaned himself off blood for a reason. He'd only take enough to stay alive. He refused to become a monster.

"...Give me one good reason why I should let you come back here," Maka finally huffed, snapping Soul back to his senses.

His eyes widened. His head shot back up. There, with her arms crossed, was Maka. She gave him this hardened stare, like anything he'd say wouldn't be good enough, but she was still giving him the chance to make his case. Honestly it threw Soul for a loop, and he had to take a second to actually think of a reason. Everything he'd just thought about seemed good enough on paper, but would have sounded self-piteous if he said it aloud all at once. Soul gave it another thought, and eventually settled on something. Compared to his other options, the one he chose sounded...desperate, but he knew what he was doing. He wouldn't let himself slip up, and certainly wouldn't put himself in a situation to where he would have to fulfill his end of the bargain.

"Tell you what," Soul reasoned, taking a step forward. Maka immediately became on edge. "I'll make a deal with you."

"A deal?" Maka's ears perked. In fae, that was code word for a binding contract. Soul couldn't break one, or else. "I'm listening."

"If at any point I try to suck out your blood..." Soul paused for a little dramatic flair, "...then I agree to become your servant for all eternity."

Internally, Soul cringed at his own proposal. He knew he'd never let it happen, but it was still painful to say out loud regardless. He supposed part of him really was desperate if he was willing to make a deal over his own freedom, though it seemed to work. Maka's apprehensiveness was quickly replaced with a knowing glint, as if she thought that she was given a free ticket to some cheap labor. Honestly he had no idea why fae always wanted servants...it's not like she lived in a mansion that warranted such help or something.

"It's a deal!" Maka smiled, for the first since before he tried to bit her, "We'll shake on it tomorrow, when I have my magic back."

"Tomorrow?" Soul blinked. So soon? He hadn't really thought of a time frame to come see her again.

Maka nodded, "Yes, I'd like to make sure my new servant doesn't skip town."

Soul raised a brow, then smiled, "Is that right? Fair enough."

He didn't mind coming back again tomorrow, considering he didn't have anything going on anyway. That was true for most of his time, in fact. He never had anywhere else to go except bars and the occasional crashed party, so the opportunity to have some meaningful conversation with someone was a welcome change of pace. Maka didn't seem to look at it that way, though that was to be expected. She wanted a new man-servant, and all he wanted was to bend her ear for a little bit. One of them was going to be disappointed at the end of this, he already knew.

"Tomorrow," Maka repeated as she took a step forward, "so for now, I'm gonna have to ask you to _leave."_

"Right," Soul nodded in response. He sneered a little bit at their close proximity to one another, "It's a date then."

If looks could kill, Soul wouldn't have to worry about drinking blood anymore. Maka threw him a deathly glare, and Soul felt the need to throw his hands up in surrender. Part of him was just thankful that she didn't have her magic at the moment, because a pissed off fae was definitely scarier than a hungry vampire. Maka pointed her finger towards the door, and Soul got the message loud and clear. He did an about face and marched towards the exit. Maka followed closely behind him. When they arrived at the door, she held it open and scooted him outside.

"Same time?" Soul inquired, trying to get all the details for tomorrow.

Maka rolled her eyes, "Preferably right when it gets dark. I don't have to sleep all that much, but I do still need _some_ sleep."

"Got it," he nodded. Soul threw his hands into the pockets of his hoodie and stood there at the entryway. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now?"

Maka didn't say it back. She simply waited for him to leave, which he inevitably turned to do. But before that, he glanced over his shoulder and smirked, "Thank you, Maka Albarn."

He walked away. Without so much as waiting to see the shocked look on her face, Soul sauntered off into the darkness once more. The overhead lamp of a streetlight was his only guide out of the cul-de-sac, back out into the pitch black void of a neighborhood he'd already forgotten the name of. He disappeared into it, leaving Maka there on her porch with a string of questions that he had no intention of answering. He could hear her loud and clear though, and he gave a devilish grin to himself as she shouted at him from across the street.

"Where you looking through my mail?!" she fumed to his utter amusement. "I'm gonna kick your ass tomorrow, Soul Evans! You better watch it!"


	2. Chapter 2

Their first meeting together went about as well as Soul had expected.

As discussed the night before, he'd arrived in the neighborhood at the first hint of dusk. He had to leave a little early in order to make it on time, which meant he had to tread carefully and avoid the dreaded sun while it gave its last hurrah for the evening. A little sunlight wouldn't outright kill a vampire, but it would sting like hell if it touched their skin. More than a few minutes stuck outside, however, and they'd burn up like they did in the books and movies. For some reason, Soul mused, fantasy literature had gotten a lot right about his kind.

Once night finally veiled him, he knocked on Maka's door. To his surprise, when Maka opened the door to greet him, she had _conveniently_ just cut herself while chopping food for dinner. Didn't have time to grab herself a band-aid, she reasoned. Blood gushed from her finger, which happened to be on the same hand Soul had sliced open the night before. Maka stared at him innocently and even invited him inside, hoping to give him every opportunity she could to get him riled up. Meanwhile, Soul just stood there in silence and watched for a moment.

To her surprise, he eventually did walk inside. To her further shock, however, he asked her where she kept the first aid kit. Maka hesitated and wondered aloud if he was pulling a prank on her, but he simply kept staring with a solid look on his face. She of course relented once she realized her floor was quickly being painted red with her own blood, and he led her to the bathroom with her injured hand in his. Before she knew it, Soul had wrapped her up finger up like a mummy. Not very efficient with the bandage work, but he got the job done. Then, he gave her a wry smile.

_"If you want me that badly, you're gonna have to work for it."_

The first meeting came and went. Soul sat outside on the porch like he promised, while Maka sat in a lawn chair in the threshold of her doorway. Admittedly their conversation was mostly one sided, with Soul doing most of the talking. Mostly little things like the weather or asking her some of the things that she liked. Meanwhile, Maka played with the bandages Soul had wrapped around her finger and humored him by answering questions. Other than that, she kept mostly quiet and spent the majority of her time considering future strategies in order to get him to break.

When it came time to leave, they agreed on a schedule of sorts. Maka was eager to see him again, as more meetings meant more opportunities to get him to drink her blood. They settled on twice a week; Monday and Friday, while every second week they'd also meet on Wednesday. Soul nodded and said he'd be back in four days, but not before stopping and realizing that they'd never even shook on their deal in the first place. The color drained from Maka's face as she realized he'd almost gotten a free meal out of her, and Soul couldn't help but to grin at her ineptness.

They shook. He left. The week came and went. Soul returned on Friday, and this time Maka was ready for him. Her new strategy; bribery. Their conversation was quickly steered towards her financial situation. The house she lived in was paid off from long ago, as was her car. She was a fae and didn't need to eat, so she rarely spent money dining out. Work also kept her busy, which meant she never really had time to waste money on things. Plus it helped that she had all eternity to save up money, so according to her she had a healthy savings account. She had money. Resources. Stuff.

All these things Maka tempted him with, if only he'd do some things for her here and there for all eternity. Of course it all fell on deaf ears, and Soul could only shake his head and smile at how much thought she'd put into make him her slave. He called her out on it, too, which only ended up earning him an angry pout and a string of mild insults. He didn't pay them any mind, however, and merely continued on with his conversation. Even being annoyed with his unwillingness to waver, Maka was more engaged the second time around. At least she talked with him, a little.

Second week. Third meeting. Monday came around, and Soul was surprised at first to see Maka had nothing planned. They sat down and started to chat like nothing was out of the ordinary, which for Soul seemed like a red-flag. He quickly found out what Maka had up her sleeve when the familiar feeling of heavy air surrounded him on the porch, similar to how it felt when Maka's magic disappeared, only opposite. Soul raised a brow when Maka watched him with bated breath from her lawn chair, as if waiting to see how he'd react.

She had tried to beguile him with her magic, to charm him into drinking her blood. The moment Soul realized what was going on, he threw his head back and roared with laughter. The darkened neighborhood echoed with his amusement, followed by a string of Maka's pleas for him to keep it down while people slept. Soul couldn't help it though, it was just too damn funny. He had assumed Maka knew from the get-go that vampires couldn't be charmed; they were immune to illusion magic like that. It was one of the few good things about being a vampire.

After a halfhearted, embarrassed apology, Maka resigned herself to simply talking with Soul like they'd first agreed upon. She stopped trying so hard after that, or at the very least didn't try to obviously push it. She would still try to tempt him here and there; ask him when last he'd fed, try to get him excited in different ways to get his heart pumping, etc. It never worked, of course. She was crafty, as all fae were when they wanted something. Soul, however, had proven himself the iron will. Short of hungry desperation, he couldn't be tempted.

He wasn't like any vampire she'd met before, which honestly wasn't that much of a bad thing. Once she actually started paying attention to him, Maka was surprised to learn how eloquent and well spoken he could be. For someone off the streets, Soul carried himself well and could hold conversation over pretty much anything. Meanwhile, Soul was impressed with how well-put-together and just overall _not weird_ she was. Fae were eccentric by nature, but Maka was nothing like how he'd envisioned. Cool, calm, and collected, she was practically the polar opposite of others like her.

Their summer nights started to become a ritual of sorts. After the first couple weeks, they fell into a routine; Maka would get her lawn chair ready right around the time it started to get dark and wait for Soul to arrive. She'd typically have something prepared for them to snack on, which was usually a piece of fruit or some vegetables. Then once the sun had completely set he'd arrive like a phantom. Seemingly out of nowhere, he'd pop up in her driveway and grin at her lazily. She'd smile back. He'd wave. They'd greet each other through the doorway, then take their seats.

The meeting taking place at the moment was no different. In the comforting darkness of an unlit porch, Soul lay on the floor. He had assumed his usual spot against a nearby brick pillar and munched on an apple that Maka had provided for him. Meanwhile, she nibbled on hers while at the same time swatting at the occasional mosquito that made its way through the mesh she had set up; Maka learned very quickly to get some bug netting. Her first few chat sessions with Soul had ended in a million bug bites, and she swore to herself to keep that from happening again.

"...A _what_ now?" Soul tilted his head a little at the word Maka had just used. Currently they were discussing her friend and business partner, Tsubaki. "A _yokai_?"

"Yeah, they're kind of like Japanese fae," Maka informed him. "At least that's how she explained it to me. They're really different from us, though."

"Weird, I've been around for two hundred years and I've never even heard of one before," Soul mused incredulously.

"I also know two succubus sisters," she continued, earning her a _very_ interested glance from Soul. "Liz and Patty. Nice girls, just don't get them in the same room together."

Soul blinked. He at first said nothing, which concerned Maka. Then, she could see a grin rip across his face, "Sisters, eh? Think you could-?"

"-Introduce you to them? Not a chance," Maka grinned lazily back. Her smile only grew wider when Soul growled in annoyance.

Their conversation fell off for a little bit after that; they sat quietly as cicadas buzzed on in the background, and the sticky air of a hot summer night fell over the pair like a blanket. The night was still young. Soul had only gotten there an hour before, and during this particular meeting it was Maka who wanted to talk for a change. That was more than fine with Soul, who was feeling a bit weary that evening. She could lead the conversation if she wanted to, and Soul would simply go along with whatever. The topic for the evening; her and Tsubaki's business venture.

The pair ran a small farmer's market together. Maka handled the managerial side of the business while Tsubaki networked and did pretty much everything else. He wasn't sure if Maka actively grew plants or not, but considering that she was a fae and always had fresh fruit and vegetables it was a safe bet that she did. Regardless, Maka always had fruit for him, and it was a welcome change of pace from scrounging together money for burgers and french fries every day. His stomach growled with anticipation before every visit, and it didn't have anything to do with blood.

Tsubaki was a creature like them, a fact that was interesting to know but only mildly so. He hadn't met her yet, nor did he ever expect to, and really Soul would much rather get to know Maka a bit better instead. She, however, was dodgy with information regarding herself. All he really knew about her was that she had been alive much longer than him. How long, specifically, she wouldn't say; a lady never reveals her age and all that nonsense. Something about her, though, told Soul that she was his senior several times over. Something in the way she looked at him. How she carried herself.

Still basking in the quiet summer evening, Soul took what remained of his apple and killed it in two giant bites. Juice ran down the corners of his mouth as he tossed the core into Maka's bushes, which immediately earned him an angry glare. He quickly reasoned that it was free food for the plants and animals, and begrudgingly Maka agreed.

"Have you drank any blood lately?" Maka asked as suddenly. The question admittedly took Soul off guard, and he had to think about it.

"Just that girl I told you about," he revealed, which drew a concerned look from Maka. "The bartender. The one who cut herself on the glass."

Maka frowned, "Soul, that was almost five days ago. It wasn't even a lot of blood, you just snatched the glass away and licked off whatever was on it."

Soul shrugged and looked away from her. She could tell he didn't want to talk about it anymore. He wanted to change the subject, "Got anymore of those apples?"

Maka sighed, but ultimately smiled and informed him that she did. Soul voiced his excitement as she got up from her chair and disappeared deeper into the house to fetch them. Meanwhile, Soul lay there and continued to stare out into the dark nothing around him. Mosquitoes landed on his skin, thinking for a moment he was a free meal. They quickly learned however that his blood was not something they wanted, and ended up leaving as quickly as they came. Soul watched them pensively as they abandoned him for better prospects elsewhere.

His human stomach was honestly sated, but it was the vampire one he was worried about. From the depths of his being, a rumble fought to make itself known. Soul likewise tried equally hard to muffle the sound, which ended up resulting in what sounded like a muted burp. He sighed at his inability to rid himself of his constant hunger, especially since he'd only just arrived for their meeting. Soul figured he'd just...focus on other stuff. Right, to help take his mind off it. His first distraction? Two succubi whom he'd very much like to get better acquainted with-

-A firm conk to the head kept him from pursuing the thought any further. Soul hissed in pain as an apple rolled down his face and landed on his stomach. He looked up to glare daggers at Maka, but he quickly found the chair where she sat was still empty. Instead, he was surprised by her sudden appearance next to him. Wide-eyed, he remained still as Maka took a seat on his right. She told him to scoot over so she could also lean against the pillar, and after a moment's hesitation he complied with her request. Before he knew it, they were both sitting there on the porch together.

"I'm surprised you're actually coming out here!" Soul remarked, raising his brow at her. He scanned her up and down, musing over their obvious height difference.

Maka simply shrugged and took a bite of her apple, "I don't see what the big deal is. It's my porch, after all."

"Actually, I'm impressed that you braved the mosquitoes," Soul commented flatly.

The look on Maka's face as realization sank in was pure gold to behold. A grin unzipped Soul's lips when she bowed her head for a moment, as already she could feel the bugs start to land on her skin. To her credit though, Maka didn't immediately go back inside. That might have been the smart thing to do, but she toughed it out along side him. Soul wasn't quite sure if she knew that mosquitoes didn't bite him or not, but he liked to think she was showing him some kind of solidarity in remaining by his side. That, or Maka was just stubborn as all hell. Either way, he appreciated the company.

"Y'know..." she drawled after another bout of welcome silence, "...we could just take this inside, where there _isn't_ a swarm of bugs trying to suck out our blood."

"True, but I'm fine out here," Soul replied with a smile. She'd inadvertently answered his self-imposed question, and he was more than a little amused.

Maka smacked a mosquito off her arm. A red stain marred her skin. She stared at it and thought for a moment. "You're probably hungry."

Soul grew quiet for a second. His smile disappeared, then reappeared a moment later, "Course not, I'm on my second apple already."

"Blood," Maka stated blunted. She looked at him, then back at her arm. "You need to feed. I've got more than enough to spare."

Air escaped Soul's nose in a quiet chuckle to himself. "Is this you trying to seduce me? 'Cuz if so, you're not very good at it."

Soul wasn't an easy person to break, which was something he had established almost immediately. This was especially true for Maka who, despite being a fae, which was literally a creature known for seduction and deal-making, was pretty rotten at getting him to do what she wanted. This particular encounter would be no different than the others; she'd purse her lips and get upset with him like she usually did, and he'd grin and tease her for trying. To Soul's surprise however, that didn't happen this time. Instead, Maka merely remained silent. Something seemed to be going on in that head of hers.

At first he was tempted to ask her what was up, but Maka suddenly scooted in before he could get the chance He felt a hot whisper in his ear, "Then why don't you teach me how?"

Soul froze. He mimicked a statue as the feeling of Maka's breath rolled down his ear, and he couldn't help but to wonder if he'd just heard her correctly. Confirmation would come in the form of a gentle hand placed on his lap, its presence dangerously close to his inner thigh being enough to make her message read loud and clear. Soul was pinned down by the dual sensations of heat and fingers, and he could only stare out ahead of him in order to hide his face from her. Right now, she was trying her hardest to make _him_ hard.

It took everything in his power to not outright laugh at her. So this was the new strategy? Get him horny? In all honesty, it wasn't a half bad way to make a vampire thirsty for blood. The more their heart pumped, the less...in control of themselves they were. Get a vampire too excited and they may go on a binge of sorts. It wasn't uncommon for vampires to wake up one day and not know what happened the night before or even how they'd gotten there. Stained with blood, all they'd be left with was amnesia and whole mess of questions. He'd weaned himself off blood in order to avoid just such a scenario.

If Maka thought this would be enough to fool him into taking her blood, then she had another thing coming. He gave her the once over from the corner of his eye, and admitted that, for what it was worth, she _did_ succeed in getting him at least a little excited. Maybe there was something to her being a fae after all, since even he had to admit Maka didn't look half-bad in a low cut shirt and shorts. It was her go-to fashion choice since he'd first met her; maybe because it was the middle of summer and it was hot, or maybe because this was something she'd been planning out ahead of time for a while now.

Whatever the reason, Maka had opened the flood gates for some hard core teasing, and Soul relished in the opportunity.

With all of his strength, Soul suppressed a grin. He turned his head to face Maka; she was still there, giving him a starry eyed gaze that admittedly would have turned a normal guy into mush. Soul, however, was a vampire. And if there was one thing vampires were good at, above even hunting and sucking blood, it was being suave when they wanted to be. Soul took great pride in this, and fell back on this innate power of his completely. He matched Maka beat for beat. He leaned in close. Their faces were practically touching. Before Maka could respond with any sort of reaction, Soul laid it all on her.

"Sure thing," he purred, a hair's breadth from her lips, "just know that when I'm done with my lesson, _you'll_ be be the one on your knees calling me master."

Emerald eyes widened. Soul loomed over them as they darted back and forth between all his features. Seconds ticked by, and with each passing moment a lazy grin slowly started to spread across Soul's face. He waited for what he _knew_ was about to come, and he inevitably wasn't disappointed. Though it took longer than he thought it would, a swath of pink hues saturated Maka's face. He felt her take a shuddered breath against his skin and she must have realized he felt it, too, since she only became more red immediately after doing so.

Before she could embarrass herself further, Maka pulled away. She looked at Soul like a deer caught in headlights, and quickly got up from her seat. Soul erupted into laughter as she retreated back into her home without saying a word, leaving him there alone on the porch to celebrate his victory. The sounds of his amusement carried through out the sleeping cul-de-sac as he assumed his position once more; sprawled out on the floor of the porch, Soul would eventually ease into a content smirk at the thought of a hot and bothered Maka.

She wouldn't come back for a while, more than likely to recoup whatever dignity she had left. In the meantime he'd just hang out and enjoy the evening alone, or at least that was the plan. Soul of course had no way of knowing it at the time, but just because Maka had left him didn't mean he was the only person left in the neighborhood. While Soul became reacquainted with his forgotten second apple, another individual quickly approached from behind. A bit too relaxed for his own good, Soul didn't see the person coming until it was too late.

The sound of a shoe scraping against concrete. Far, at first, then before Soul knew it the shoe's owner was right next to him. As soon as Soul realized someone was there, he reached for his hoodie and threw it over his face. White hair was obvious in the dark, and the last thing he needed to cause was a scene. He looked up from the cover of his hood and spied a balding man with glasses, the sides of his head adorned with long hair that he'd tried to comb over with; the humidity, however, had caused it to frizz, and the comb-overs ended up looking like hair spikes. Soul wanted to laugh, but fought back the urge to do so.

"So you're the hooligan who keeps coming around here at night!" he shouted a bit too loudly.

"Hooligan?" Soul raised a brow. He hadn't heard anyone use that word in a long time. "I'm visiting with my friend."

"Oh?" the man mimicked Soul's expression, "Then where, pray tell, would they be? Considering I only see you and me right now!"

Soul narrowed his gaze and mounted a scathing remark about how stupid the man was; clearly he was visiting with Maka, since this was _her_ house and the door was wide open. Soul glanced at the open threshold and found it...not open. His eyes widened when he realized she must have closed it on her way back in, and what's more she hadn't turned the porch light on or anything. Now it looked like Soul was just randomly lounging around someone's front door, in the dark, with a hoodie on. A more conspicuous looking person, there wasn't.

"Look, Maka went inside real quick to go to the bathroom," Soul reasoned, only half-lying, "She'll be back out here in a minute."

"I don't believe you," the man shot back immediately. "One, my neighbor doesn't come outside. Two, you look suspicious. And three, I'm calling the cops."

Soul snorted incredulously, causing the man to become noticeably flustered. "The police? Seriously? What are they gonna tell me other than to keep the noise down?"

"People at the homeowner's meeting said there was a man in a hoodie knocking on people's doors last month. You can explain to the officers why you fit the description of him!"

The balding man fished out a cell phone from his pocket and started to dial. Soul spat at the sight and threw his hands into his pocket with an angry growl. The last thing he needed was to get another police report on him; he'd had plenty over the years, since they loved to mess with the homeless and anyone else coming out of bars at two a.m. Soul had no license or birth records of any kind however, so they always just marked him as John Doe and threw him in the drunk tank (even if he wasn't drunk). After a couple days of stewing in there, they'd eventually let him leave.

In the long run it didn't really matter, since he was practically immortal. Arrests were a minor inconvenience, but this man in particular was really pushing Soul's buttons. It didn't help that, as the man started to talk with 911, Sou's stomach started to churn loudly. He paused, both at the sound of a voice on the other end of the line and his own bodily functions. Suddenly he had two things he needed to worry about; the possibility of getting arrested, and the increasingly tempting prospect of getting a free meal out of this.

The man looked away for a moment as if not wanting Soul to see what he was saying, even though he was _right there_ and could hear it all anyway. Meanwhile, Soul stared at the side of the man's head; particularly, his exposed neck. Air hissed between sharpened teeth as another rumble racked Soul's stomach, the desperate call serving as permission to go ahead and bite him. The dude was an asshole, right? Who would miss him? You're hungry, Soul, hurry up and do it already. Pounce him an throw him into the bushes. _Do it before Maka comes..._

"...Soul?" A light appeared above Soul's head, stopping him in his tracks. "Who were you talking to...?"

Stunned for the moment, Soul's eyes fell on Maka standing there in her doorway. The man named Ox shielded his eyes from the sudden brightness, though continued to hold the phone to his ear. As both men were revealed in the darkness, Maka's entire demeanor soured at the sight of one of them, and it wasn't Soul. The moment she realized who else was on that porch with them, her chest puffed up in anger and annoyance. Likewise, once the balding man knew he was in Maka's cross hairs, he finally pulled the phone away. He didn't hang up yet, however.

"Ox Ford, what the hell are you doing here?!" Maka stomped one foot, causing the man to flinch, "How many times have I told you to stay off my property?!"

The sound of a muffled voice came through the other end of Ox's cell. He completely ignored it. "...This guy seemed suspicious, so I confronted him. Do you know him?"

"He's my _friend_ ," Maka hissed, insulted. "Something I'm sure he told you already, but you were being too much of a crotchety asshole to even listen to what he was saying!"

Soul shrugged and nodded his head; it was like she was psychic or something. "Pretty much. Also I'm sure he popped a boner at the first chance he got to call the police on me-"

 **"-You** _**what?!"** _Maka boomed. Her eyes zeroed in on the phone in Ox Fords hand, a hand that, conveniently, dropped the moment she screamed at him. Ox Ford audibly gulped.

Even Soul flinched a little at Maka's anger. He took a couple steps away from Ox Ford, whom he might actually have felt sorry for if he hadn't been such a dick the whole time. Ox Ford opened his mouth the say something, but he didn't get the chance to; a rush of heavy air filled the porch like a weighted blanket. Soul's eyes widened as he realized it was Maka working her fae magic, something he'd experienced several times already but never when she was angry. An angry fae was terrifying, and Maka could kill with just her look right now. He dreaded what would come next.

Two things happened in quick succession. The first was that the phone in Ox Ford's hand suddenly grew hot; not simply warm, but more like the battery was about to explode. Ox Ford immediately dropped his cell on the hard concrete, which resulted in an audible crack of the screen. Again he readied a slew of words, but they fell from his tongue once he looked up at Maka. A dumbfounded look swept across his face as she leered over him, her green eye's seeming to pulsate with some otherworldly force. Soul stared at the sight, enthralled.

" _Stop harassing my friend and get off my property,"_ Maka commanded, a supernatural echo reverberating from her words.

The balding man nodded obediently as the slightest hint of drool fell from his stupefied face. Soul watched in amazement as Ox Ford turned around like a robot and hobbled off back down the drive way without so much as another word. His cell phone remained on the floor, the voice on the other end long since silenced. Soul knew the police would come if a caller suddenly hung up or lost connection, but judging from Maka's less than concerned face, Soul figured her fae magic might have covered their butt in that regard as well. He was more than a little impressed with her at the moment. Also, maybe, just a little bit more wary of her, too. Maka's eyes returned to normal and the air lightened around them, and it wasn't even a half minute later that things seemed to return to relative normalcy.

"Sorry, Maka," Soul sighed, scratching the back of his head, "I guess I did get a little too loud back there. I didn't mean to cause all this trouble for you."

"Don't even worry about it. He's one of those neighbors who complains about everything. He has the home owner's association on speed dial," Maka sighed.

"I take it he gives you a lot of trouble?" Soul inquired. The tone of his voice was that of a concerned friend; Maka giggled a little at the thought.

"Not necessarily trouble. He just likes to stick his nose in where it doesn't belong. Also he really wants to get in my pants, so it's more than a little annoying."

" _That old fart?"_ Soul's jaw practically dropped. He pointed to where Ox Ford had been, which earned him an indifferent shrug. "What a fucking creep! Next time I see him, I'll-!"

Soul caught himself. Maka's sudden laughter stopped him just short of continuing. "Y'know, he's actually only in his late 20's? Baldness just runs in his family, I guess."

Maka smiled as Soul growled in annoyance before she continued, "We probably _should_ take things inside, though. We're starting to attract attention, which is the last thing you need."

They both looked at each other and nodded. Maka went inside to move her chair out of the way and also to pick some stuff up here and there, leaving Soul by himself for a moment to stare at the open doorway. The confrontation with Ox Ford still fresh on his mind, Soul to himself at the whole situation. Several things were now very much clear to him; the first one being that he didn't like Maka's neighbors. The second thing was that he should really be more mindful of just how _terrifying_ Maka could be when she was angry. Finally, the third thing was that...right now, he really needed blood.

Yes, Ox Ford was a little twerp whom he'd very much like to punch in the mouth. That didn't excuse the fact, however, that Soul seriously considered using him as cheap takeout. If it hadn't been for Maka coming in at the last second, that's probably what would have ended up happening, too. Soul found himself thinking back to the first night him and Maka had met almost a month ago. He remembered how he had nearly done something terrible out of hunger, and how he still craved blood even after taking some of hers. His stomach churned at the mere thought of another chance to taste it again, and it was at that point Soul knew he had overstayed his welcome.

"Alright, just excuse the mess," Maka warned him as she came to the door once more, "I've been working a lot lately and haven't had the chance to clean."

Soul didn't respond. He just stood there and gave Maka a thousand yard stare, which of course caused her to become concerned. She had no way of knowing all the things running through his head at the moment, and Soul would have liked to keep it that way. Still, he knew at this point Maka was smart. She could tell something was up, especially since the look he had on his face was the same one he'd had on during their first encounter together in the kitchen. Maka could put two and two together, but if she did she didn't say anything out loud. Soul internally thanked her for that.

The apples Maka had given Soul before were delicious; now that his craving were were back, however, the fruit was settling like concrete in his gut. Blood pangs were a feeling Soul had actually discussed with Maka during one of their first meetings together, back before he thought his hunger would ever become a problem around her. It was the same as when you're about to throw up, Soul had described it. The sudden rush of saliva, followed by a hard-hitting queasiness, and then inevitably disorientation. The only difference was, with vampires, something needed to go in their stomach, not come out.

"I, uh..." Soul still wouldn't look her in the eyes. His gaze remained unfocused. "...I think we should call it a night."

"If it's about Ox Ford, don't worry about him," Maka frowned. "He won't come back for a while after that. I'll keep you safe."

"No," Soul shook his head. He managed to smile. "I've just got some stuff I need to do. Don't worry, I'll be back in a few days. Promise."

He tried his best to assuage Maka's obvious worry, though he could tell it was a losing battle. She wouldn't let up on giving him that same concerned look, but did eventually agree to call it a night. Still worried about him, she offered to give Soul some more fruit for the road. He smirked and nodded, and Maka disappeared and reappeared in a flash. In her arms was a paper bag filled with apples, peaches, and pears. Soul's eyes widened, and he gave her a genuine smile before turning to walk away. Maka watched him as he left to disappear into the night like he always did, only this time she felt like her time with him was cut unfairly short.

"If you ever get hungry," she called out to him, "You can always stop by for a bite to eat!"

Soul stopped in his tracks and stared out in front of him for a second before shaking his head in amusement. He honestly couldn't tell if Maka knew what was up or not, or if she even realized the double entendre she'd just given him. Soul liked to think deep down she knew he was starving, though he wouldn't put it past her to be completely oblivious. In any case, Soul turned around to give Maka a proper farewell this time. He smiled and waved goodbye to her, and she waved back to him. Then, without another word, he melted into the inky blackness of another summer night. Gone like a phantom, much like the way he always came.

If he stayed any longer, he was going to drink her blood. What scared him about that, though, was he starting to think that might not be such a bad thing.


	3. Chapter 3

In the following weeks after that little incident on the porch, some things started to change around the Albarn household.

The first, and arguably largest change, had come about innocently enough. Maka brought it up at their next meeting after the week had come and gone; forced inside due to nosy neighbors, she and Soul were relegated to conducting their business in her living room. Sprawled out on her ridiculously comfy couch, Soul looked much better after having procured blood from somewhere. He didn't care to mention any details and ultimately Maka didn't press the matter further. Instead, she decided to take the opportunity to talk to him about something that had been bugging her all weekend.

"Soul," she had started sweetly, which earned her a concerned look from the aforementioned vampire, "There's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Uh huh," Soul leaned back in his seat. Suddenly the thing felt much less comfortable under Maka's gaze. "And that would be...?"

She pressed her hands together thoughtfully and nodded in self affirmation, "...You really need a bath."

She didn't pull any punches; he stank something fierce. She knew full well that Soul was homeless and of course held nothing against him, but Maka had failed to notice just how _bad_ his B.O was until finally taking the time to sit next to him outside. Their first meeting together she was too preoccupied to really pay attention, and their other meetings were conducted through an open doorway and some mosquito netting. Getting close to him though...sticking her face in his...it was really hard to try and sound sexy when all she could think of was his foul odor assaulting her nostrils. She didn't get a chance to tell him anything about it, what with Ox Ford coming in and causing trouble, but now that they were in the safety of her home all bets were off. Maka was going to fix this. She _needed_ to.

Soul had no say in the matter, because ultimately what could he say? No to a shower? Something that he would have very much liked to have for a change? Admittedly his cheeks dusted a little red from embarrassment at Maka actually pointing out he smelled disgusting, but thankfully she really didn't dwell on it. Maka simply stated her case and gave him an ultimatum; either he took a shower right then and there, or there would be no more meetings until he did so. With those kinds of options, Soul's hands were practically tied. He put up a meager fight, but was eventually corralled into the guest bathroom.

Plainly decorated, Soul gave the place a once over before sighing heavily. The situation wasn't one he'd envisioned finding himself in, though admittedly the steam that started to roll off his face as he drew a shower was the greatest feeling ever. Throwing one last glance to make sure Maka wasn't anywhere recording him or something, Soul disrobed and hopped in. Immediately hot water consumed him, and he melted in pure bliss. White hair became a soppy veil that he disappeared under as the world outside became distant and uninteresting. For the following twenty or so minutes, the only thing Soul cared about was staying in for just a little while longer. It didn't take him long to get clean. Really, he just wanted to enjoy something he'd missed for so long.

When the shower finally ended (i.e the hot water ran out), Soul hopped out and went to gather his clothes. Instantly his great mood soured when he realized that his shirt and pants were gone off the floor, which revealed to him a couple things. First of all, Maka had been in there without his knowing and on top of that, _he didn't have any clothes to wear at the moment._ With an angry growl, Soul dried himself off and wrapped the towel around his waist. If this was some fae plan to hold his clothes hostage until he drank her blood, he couldn't wait to burst her bubble.

All this ended up leading to the second thing that changed around the Albarn household. As Soul fumbled his way out the guest bathroom, he stopped just shy of accidentally stepping on a bundle of clothes on the floor. His foot hung midair as he looked down at the neat pile; it consisted of a red t-shirt and some blue jeans, along with a pair of bright white socks. They were very clearly men's clothes, and Soul knew right away what was really going on. He caught himself smiling before he leaned down to pick up the bundle and turning back inside to change into his new threads.

When he emerged again, Maka was there waiting for him. She had leaned against the wall and folded her arms in satisfaction, a big grin on her face at the new and improved Soul Evans. The latter could only shake his head, unable to properly convey the thanks he really wanted to give her for everything. The most he could offer was a genuine smile in return, but for Maka that had seemed enough. She complimented him on his newfound freshness and informed him that his old clothes were in the washer; she hadn't tossed them, as was his fear.

And so it became a thing where, every Friday, Maka would have another new outfit for Soul. Nothing crazy like a suit and tie, but at least another t-shirt or two and some jeans. They always came with the stipulation that he had to take a shower before putting them on, which ended up not being much of a stipulation anyway; it didn't take long until he was taking a shower at every meeting regardless of whether or not she gave him new clothes, much to Maka's delight. The invitation was always open, so Soul figured he'd use the most out of it. Meanwhile, Maka would run his old clothes through the washer. He didn't have any place to put them, so she just ended up folding and throwing them in the guest bedroom for safekeeping until their next meeting.

Such was the case right now; another night, another meeting, another shower. Only, this time, Soul was much more reluctant to come out of the bathroom. The normally refreshing heat of Maka's shower just couldn't drown out the ever increasing sense of dread that slowly crept over him as he zoned out underneath the searing water. He knew something was up when Maka had told him at their last meeting to come over as soon as possible. She had something planned, and they needed all the extra time they could get.

"Not quite what I was expecting," Soul sighed as he dunked his head in the downpour.

To be fair, he didn't know _what_ he was expecting, really. It was the 4th of July. Every idiot with a lighter and a few bucks in their pocket to buy fireworks were out popping them right now. He of course had neither of those things, so when he found out their meeting was today Soul was more than eager to make a b-line for her house. He hoped to avoid all the noise and people and just spend the night like they always did; chatting in the comfort of her home and munching on some junk food. Apples were great and all, but lately they'd resorted to chips and popcorn.

Much to Soul's confusion and disappointment, Maka informed him that would not be the case tonight. He had a feeling their plans would be different as he approached her house and found a sea of people all gathered outside various houses in the neighborhood. Tables and chairs were set up, kids were out and about, and music was playing in every other garage. He desperately avoided making contact with everyone and tried to find sanctuary in Maka's house. When he burst through the door, however, she immediately gave him the news.

"Great! You're here!" Maka smiled as she shoved a new bundle of clothes into his hands. "Go take a shower and get ready. We're gonna join the block party tonight!"

The shower creaked as Soul turned it off. He stood there for a moment and hung his head. Drops fell from his drenched hair and plopped to the floor, hypnotizing him for a moment before he eventually shook himself out of it. Taking a deep breath, he climbed out of the shower and dried himself off. Soul then grabbed the new outfit Maka had picked out for him and he raised a brow; a white button-up, an undershirt, and a pair of black jeans much nicer than the ones she'd given him previously. Soul stared at them for a moment, then went to work changing.

The entire time he stared at himself in the mirror, something most people might have been surprised to know a vampire could do. Maka most certainly was when she had found out; the whole thing about vampires not being able to see their own reflection was actually partly true, though. Old mirrors from back in the day were backed with silver, something vampires very much _did not like._ Modern mirrors didn't have silver in them however, so a vampire's reflection would show through no problem. It freaked Soul out the first time he learned that little tidbit, too.

Although, he kind of wished he couldn't see himself at the moment. Not that he didn't necessarily like the face that stared back at him; for the first time in a long time, Soul admitted that he looked like a presentable human being. He was clean. His clothes were nice. There was a serious lack of guilt that would otherwise be present behind his eyes. Everything he saw, he liked. The only thing that kept him from really enjoying it all was a nagging feeling in both the back of his head and the pit of his stomach that kept pestering him with the same exact thought.

The food. The clothes. The showers. This is what friends did, right? Him and Maka were friends, right?

This wasn't all just part of some scheme to make him her servant for all eternity...right?

Soul's eyes widened. He stared at himself for a split second before angrily shaking his head and growling in disgust with himself. _Of course_ Maka wouldn't do that. She might have been a fae, but that didn't make her some conniving witch who tried to enslave him at every opportunity she got. She was a dork. She couldn't seduce anyone worth a crap. Her only potential suitor was a geriatric twenty-something who lived next door whom, Soul might also add, he hoped would be at the block party so he could potentially knock his lights out for calling the cops on him.

Pushing misplaced thoughts to the sidelines, Soul straightened himself one final time in the mirror before deciding he was done. Steam leaked out from the bathroom as he emerged into an empty bedroom. He threw his old clothes on the spare bed and made his way to the door, finding it already starting to open as Maka entered from the other side. He stopped as she came into view, and she likewise did the same. Immediately, Soul realized she had changed as well. Gone was her tank top, and there to replace it was a nice, knee-length summer dress the same color as her eyes. Hair down with earrings to match, it was the first time Soul had seen her in anything other than casual wear before. He blinked. She stared. They said nothing for a moment, and simply took a second to look at one another.

"You look good," Maka complimented with a straight face. She seemed to focus intently on his shirt.

Soul gave a lazy smirk. "Thanks, you too."

"You should roll up your sleeves though," she advised, before adding, "it's supposed to be hot tonight."

He shrugged, "I'm used to wearing hoodies. The heat never bothered me."

His response meant nothing, as Soul quickly found out. Despite his insistence that it wasn't a big deal, Maka took it upon herself to roll up his sleeves for him. He gave a mild growl and looked the other way as she did her thing; in an admittedly short amount of time, Soul's arms were freed from cotton prisons. He looked down at Maka's handiwork before back up to her, and this time found her beaming in his direction. A complete one-eighty from how she looked at him just moments ago. Clearly, Soul reasoned, his sleeves had nothing to do with him and everything to do with her.

"Much better," Maka smiled. She took a step back to give him one final look-over before turning around. "Come on, let's head outside before all the food's gone."

Soul followed obediently as the pair descended the stairs. Already the sounds of popped fireworks started to echo outside, and Soul internally cringed at the noise he was going to have to endure all evening. Still, any apprehensions he kept to himself as Maka opened the door for him. He'd suck it up for one night, if only because she seemed to have her mind set on attending this stupid thing. For what reason, he couldn't honestly say. All Soul knew was that, as the door closed behind him and they walked out onto the sidewalk, he definitely had his work cut out for him.

There were more people now than when he'd first arrived. The crackle and smell of gunpowder hung in the air as kids ran around with sparklers in their hands. The sun was almost completely set now; a small twinge of pain stung Soul's skin where the last rays of light touched him, but it was nothing detrimental. It was dark enough now to where he could move around carefree, and likewise see the different colored fireworks being popped farther down the street. Thankfully there were no cherry bombs or other loud explosives being set off near them. They gave him a headache.

Maka tugged on Soul's arm and directed him towards a group of adults crowded around a house on the opposite end of the street. She took the lead and he shuffled behind her as he tried his best to make himself disappear. Their presence drew heads as they approached, and Soul immediately realized what a bad idea all this was; he didn't have a hat on or anything. His white hair was laid out for all to see, and it was going to be a nightmare trying to explain it away without making him seem like some sort of freak. He'd tried in the past to come up with bullshit excuses, but they hardly ever worked. Him being albino was one of them, but that didn't affect hair. Premature greying was another one, but that just made him sound like some poor sap like Ox Ford. Nowadays, it was easier just to hide behind a hoodie.

"Maka!" one of the women, a slender lady with dark brown hair, exclaimed. "I didn't think you'd make it out here this year!"

"Hi Jacqueline!" Maka smiled politely back. "Honestly it was a last minute thing. I wasn't sure if we'd come or not."

Soul raised a brow at Maka's bold faced lie; she'd planned this out days in advance. He wondered what the front was for, but kept it to himself for now.

Another woman popped her head out behind the taller people in front of her and pointed to Soul. "Oh? And who's this?"

Soul was taken aback by this other woman. Her hair was bright, almost neon pink. She was short, and definitely had the look of a punk rocker or something. She wore a nice sun dress like the other women and Maka, though Soul could tell right away she was more than comfortable in a concert t-shirt and jeans; frequenting dive bars for a few decades had afforded him such insight. In any case, her presence immediately gave Soul some sort of relief. Her hair looked wilder than his, and yet no one seemed to be giving her any shit for it.

Soul suddenly found himself being pulled forward. He stumbled a bit as Maka put him on display, "Kim. Jackie. This is my friend, Soul."

"Nice to meet you," Soul recited as if having rehearsed the words all night. Pitifully, he kind of _did_ during his time in the shower.

Everyone else in the group waved and greeted him, but it was Kim who offered meaningful conversation. "Okay...Soul, right? You just _have_ to tell me who bleached your hair!"

"Uh..." Soul blinked. He wasn't expecting anyone to really ask him any questions, let alone ones that forced him to come up with something on the spot.

"Our friend Liz is a cosmetologist," Maka stepped in at just the right time. Soul looked at her as she continued, "I can give you her number. Her pricing is really fair, too."

"She did a really good job," Jackie commented as she examined Soul from afar. "What color is your hair naturally? I've been thinking of going a little lighter myself."

The question was directed at Soul, but again it was Maka who answered. "Platinum blonde. You can hardly tell the difference between him before and after!"

Soul took a step back, both literally and figuratively. He let Maka do all the talking, since she seemed to have spent a decent amount of time coming up with an answer to every possible question that might have come their way. They asked what he did for a living, and she right away said he was a bartender. Maka came up with some bullshit story about how they'd met through an event she'd planned for sellers at her farmer's market. He served the drinks. It took everything Soul had not to grin at how impressed he was with her at the moment; he of course played along with everything she said.

Even without the sun, Soul's red eyes were still noticeable; fireworks and garden lights were still enough for people to see they weren't normal. Soul chalked it up to a long shift the night before and a lack of sleep, resulting in one hell of a case of redeye. No one pressed the matter further, and Soul was more than happy to move on to something else. For the rest of the conversation, Soul commented off Maka's conversation with the girls and asked Kim and Jackie a few generic questions of his own. Which house was theirs, what they did for a living, etc.

Kim was a friend of Jackie's from back in high school. It struck Soul as odd, considering they seemed like two entirely different people; Jackie looked proper, almost like Maka, whereas Kim was very much the firecracker. Still, the same could be said for Maka and himself and he really didn't care either way. Jackie, meanwhile, lived in the house directly behind them with her husband Harvar. He was a couple houses down with some of the other men all crowded around a grill. The obligatory 4th of July cookout was in full swing, and every dude in the block had to put their two cents in when it came to cooking meat. Soul had no such machismo to prove, however. He was never the best cook, even after having a couple hundred years to learn how to do it properly. He'd much rather eat someone else's food.

"You should go pop in and say hi," Jackie said to Soul. She motioned to the one guy with sunglasses on, "that's Harvar over there."

"A little dark to be wearing shades, isn't it?" Soul commented, which resulted in a sudden jab from Maka's elbow into his ribs.

Kim snickered at the sound of Soul wheezing in sharp pain, "He's blind. Don't worry though, he gets that all the time."

Crap. Soul rubbed the spot where Maka struck him, and the worst part about it was he couldn't even be mad. He immediately felt like an asshole for not knowing and what's more, felt obligated to do as Jackie said and go say hi to the guy. He voiced his apology before turning to go join the men, though Jackie only smiled and told him not to worry about it. Soul gave Maka a glance before making his way over, though she still seemed slightly annoyed with him. Maka had already moved on to another conversation with the girls, leaving him completely on his own.

With a sigh, Soul crossed through two front lawns while avoiding sparklers and bystanders. As he approached, the unmistakable smell of burning meat and vegetables washed over him like the shower he'd taken earlier. It was wholly welcome, and he was surprised to see that it was in fact Harvar doing all the heavy lifting. The other men were busy talking and drinking beer, though Soul supposed that's usually how these things worked; one person does the majority of the work, and everyone else gets to reap the benefits...but to make the dude who couldn't see cook all the food though...?

Half the men turned to Soul as he arrived. The other half couldn't have cared less. "Harvar? Nice to meet you, my name's Soul."

The tong-wielding blind man turned in Soul's direction. He offered him a mild smirk as a welcome. "Likewise. Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Thanks," Soul scratched the back of his head. "I met your wife and Kim. Everyone here seems real nice. Looks like you know how to have a good time."

"Sometimes," Harvar commented as he flipped some meat over on the grill. "I bet the same could be said for you though. I knew I recognized that voice from somewhere."

"Beg your pardon?" Soul raised a brow. He forgot for a second that Harvar couldn't see him, but his confusion was more than apparent through his words alone.

Another flip, followed by another smirk. "Sorry, I was just referring to the fact that I've heard you over on Maka's porch more than a few times this past month and a half."

Soul's eyes widened. There was a nearly audible record screech as the other men stopped what they were talking about and suddenly became very interested in Soul and Harvar's exchange. Soul's silence seemed all the affirmation Harvar needed, and the man chuckled to himself in amusement. Meanwhile, Soul didn't know how he should proceed with things; was he supposed to deny it? Were their meetings supposed to be a secret or something? Honestly, Soul had never really thought about it before. Did Maka want people knowing she was having company over? Was it any of their business...?

"...Hey, no worries," Harvar eased. He kicked a small ice chest by his foot to make sure it was still there before leaning down to fish out a cold beer.

Soul was caught completely off guard as Harvar lobbed the drink over in his general direction. Soul scrambled to catch the surprise projectile and just barely caught it in time. Harvar chuckled again, and some of the other men lost interest in their conversation. A few stuck around though, and Soul again didn't know how to proceed. All he could really do was take the peace offering Harvar had handed him. It wasn't a twist off, though Soul had been around long enough to know how to get around that. His teeth were sharp enough, so it wasn't long before he wedged the cap off with his incisors.

"My neighbor hardly ever comes out for social events," Harvar revealed. Some of the men nodded before taking a drink. "If you can get her outside, good on you."

Soul looked at Harvar, then at the beer in his hand before taking a swig. He stuck his free hand in his pocket. "I take it she doesn't have many visitors?"

"None that I'm aware of. We've lived here a few years, but she was here way before we moved in. It's an old family home, at least that's what I hear."

"Sounds about right," Soul mused. Maka was old. He still couldn't place her exact age, but at this point he knew it was well past a two hundred.

The sizzle of burger patties erupted into steam. "I've gotta say though, she sounds like she has a lot of fun with whatever you two talk about."

Harvar took a drink from his beer and left it at that. Soul elected to do the same, and a silence fell over both men. It wasn't wholly unwelcome though; for some reason it was easy for Soul to talk to this guy, or not talk to him as was currently the case. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Harvar was blind and Soul stuck out like a sore thumb with his white hair. The other men kind of kept their distance, but of course Harvar didn't care how Soul looked. The indifference was appreciated, and it made Soul stick around close to the grill.

"Oh, I don't know if Jackie told you," Harvar piped up suddenly, "but there's already some food in the garage. Came out right before you did."

The chef motioned behind him to his and Jackie's house. The garage door was wide open and a small line of people waited for their turn to fill their plates with burgers and shish kabobs. Soul nodded, then forgot about him being blind again. He voiced his appreciation and said he'd wait a while for the line to go down, to which Harvar understood the sentiment. He wasn't a big fan of people either, he informed Soul with a smile. The two men went back to their sentry duty over burning charcoals and avoided conversation with the others.

As it turned out, Soul was saved from making the trip for food altogether. About a minute or two later and he suddenly felt a tug on the back of his shirt. Soul spun around to find familiar green staring back up at him, along with the smell of lukewarm burger patties. As it turned out, Maka didn't seem annoyed with him anymore; at least that's what he assumed, considering the burger on the plate in her hand was stuffed to the brim with meat, cheese, and toppings. More than likely it was for him, considering she avoided eating meat whenever possible.

"I made you a plate," Maka smiled as she handed him the heavy tray.

"Hey, thanks," Soul smiled back. His nose twitched eagerly as he took it from her.

She turned her attention to his new friend. "I hope he's not giving you any trouble, Harvar?"

"Soul's been on his best behavior," Harvar played along with a smirk. "You should let him out more often."

Maka said she'd think about it and turned to walk away. She glanced at Soul over her shoulder before returning to where Kim and Jacqueline were, and he couldn't help but to follow her with his eyes as she left. A stupid smile tugged at his face, though he wasn't entirely sure why. Part of him wanted to stay where he was and eat the food she'd just given him. The other part wanted to follow Maka back and just...stand next to her. Now that she'd appeared, Soul was quickly reminded that all of this was her idea. He was only there because of her. Likewise, Soul felt like he was obligated to stay with her the rest of the night. In the end though, food and laziness would eventually win. He spared Maka one final look from across the street before taking a giant bite out of his burger with sharp teeth.

Compliments to the chef and the woman who prepared it. Definitely the best burger he'd tasted in a long time, though really it was the _only_ burger he'd had in years that hadn't come from a place with a drive-thru. Soul let out a satisfied groan as it hit his stomach, which caused Harvar to laugh outright next to him. He eagerly readied himself to take another bite, but was immediately halted as another familiar person made their appearance before him. This time, though, Soul's entire demeanor soured at the sight of the individual; he seemed to have that effect on people.

Bald head. Glasses. Sweater vest. Truly, the face of a man with not much going on in his life. "Evans."

"Ford," Soul replied with annoyance. His burger fell back on the plate, the will to eat it immediately disappearing.

The only reason the bastard even knew his last name was because he'd mentioned it sarcastically at another encounter they'd had. For the past several weeks, they'd briefly ran into one another a few times; Ox would _conveniently_ be doing something in his yard close to dusk as Soul arrived to meet Maka. They'd exchange some banter, then go about their separate ways. It was mostly civil, albeit it catty. Soul gathered that Ox didn't quite remember all the details of that night on the porch, although he seemed to recall his disdain for Soul loud and clear.

Ox had appeared from out of nowhere, causing Soul to immediately regret not following Maka earlier. "I've got an honest question for you."

"Yeah?" Soul raised a brow. He assumed Ox was going to throw some snide remarks his way. The night was still young, though.

Ox looked in the direction Maka had walked off towards before turning back to Soul. "Are you and Maka dating?"

"Yup," Soul replied immediately. That was a lie, but Ox Ford didn't need to know that. "What of it?"

Harvar's head immediately tilted to the side, but said nothing. Soul glanced at him briefly; he was pretty sure Harvar knew otherwise, either that or there were some things he'd need to clarify after Ox left. In any case, Soul's response had the intended effect. Ox Ford's shoulders slunk forward just a little and he let out a defeated sigh. Soul continued to stare him down, but on the inside was grinning from ear to ear. He completely expected Ox to grumble and slink away like the loser that he was, though was surprised to discover that wouldn't end up being the case.

Instead, Ox picked himself up a little, albeit it with a frown still on his face. "Alright...I've got another question."

Soul narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He hadn't the faintest idea as to what Ox would want to ask him. "Go on...?"

"...How do you do it?" Ox inquired earnestly. His question took Soul completely off guard. "How do you get a girl to like you?"

Harvar's head tilted to the _other_ side this time. He wasn't sure if he had heard Ox, a grown man, ask another grown man a question like that. Soul wasn't psychic but he knew that's what he was thinking at the moment, because that's what _he_ was _also_ thinking. Honestly, Soul assumed Ox was playing him for a fool for a second. It quickly became apparent that wasn't the case, however. Ox stood there patiently as he waited for an answer, and Soul was likewise left to wonder if he should be the bigger man or not. Give him some actual advice, or fuck with him and call it a night?

Ultimately, Soul would reluctantly go with the former. "I mean...you just have to talk with 'em, Ox."

"About...?" The balding man frowned further in confusion. He genuinely seemed to not know what Soul was talking about.

"...Anything?" Soul put his plate on the wooden part of Harvar's grill. "Strike up conversation. Find out more about them. Tell them about yourself."

"Don't be weird," Harvar added flatly. He started to take some patties off the fire. "Talk about your hobbies that don't have anything to do with the homeowner's association."

Soul fought the urge to sneer. He couldn't in good conscience be rude to Ox at the moment, not when the man seemed to actually be taking mental notes of their advice. All of this was really stuff he should have learned as a teenager, though everyone was different. Plus, Soul had a few lifetimes to stumble his way through things so he supposed he had an unfair advantage in that regard. Not that him and Maka were _actually_ dating of course. At this point though they were certainly good friends, and really it was only a slightly different road they could have taken.

Harvar called over to Jackie from across the street to come and take the rest of the burgers. At the same time, Ox asked a couple more questions that Soul tried his best to answer without too much judgement; how to introduce yourself, things to avoid, etc. The mini-lesson was short-lived however, as Ox quickly clammed up when Jackie arrived with Kim and Maka in tow. The latter of course gave Ox an annoyed sort of look, but really it was the other woman he seemed most focused on. Soul raised a brow as Ox immediately stiffened under Kim's indifferent gaze.

"R-right, well..." he stammered before turning his head. "I'll be seeing you around, Soul."

The man did a military turn and marched away from the rest of the group. He disappeared quickly, leaving Soul to wonder whether or not they'd buried the hatchet. Maka asked what all that was about, and Soul could only shake his head and reply that he wasn't quite sure himself. He suspected aloud that Ox would be giving him less trouble in the future however, which only made Maka all the more intrigued. As Jackie and Kim took the food away and Harvar started to kill the fire, Soul simply grinned at Maka's need to know what he and Ox were talking about.

"Nothing in particular," he drawled. "Just making new friends, I guess."

Maka blinked, then let a smile curl on her lips. "Looks like you've made quite a few today."

"Yeah, well," Soul shrugged, "I guess I've got you to thank for that. Wouldn't be out here otherwise."

"I just figured we could both do with a little socializing," Maka admitted. "Honestly, it was fun being out here tonight."

Soul nodded. Harvar threw up a hand behind him as he turned to walk away, leaving Soul and Maka standing there by themselves. There were still people out and about and fireworks continued to pop sporadically throughout the neighborhood, but their little corner of the street was quickly abandoned once the grill was silenced. It was a little weird to be standing in someone else's yard, but at least they weren't the only ones doing it. Other people were carrying on in other people's yards and Soul supposed this was the one time of year where it was alright to do so.

Maka turned so both she and Soul were facing the street. Standing next to one another, they people-watched for a little while in silence. The firecrackers and cherry bombs Soul feared would give him a headache ended up not being so bad, and he actually snickered a little when Maka noticeably flinched at their going off. She bumped him in his chest with her elbow like before, though with much less bite this time around. She pursed her lips in feigned annoyance. He smirked. They lingered on each other before breaking away once more.

Some time passed, and eventually Maka broke the silence. "We should do it more often. Go out and do things, I mean."

"Is that right?" Soul sneered immediately at the teasing Maka had invited for herself. "You mean like on a date?"

Soul looked down at the woman to his side and expected to see an even mix of anger and embarrassment washed across her face. Maka always had the best facial expressions, which made it so damn fun to get a rise out of her. She'd puff up her cheeks and call him an idiot; it's what he wanted to see, but instead all he found were two green eyes staring back up at him. Soul flinched when he realized she didn't look the slightest bit upset. If anything, the expression Maka had on that moment reminded him of that moment on the porch. The starry eyed gaze.

"...Yes," she revealed with a voice higher than normal. Red dusted her face, though not out of embarrassment.

Instantly, Soul dropped his sneer along with his jaw. His eyes widened as Maka continued to look up at him, and he could feel his pulse take off from zero to sixty in less than a second. Sweat beaded at Soul's brow and the back of his neck, and he had no time to properly sort through all the things racing through his head at that very moment. Thoughts of the bathroom mirror earlier assaulted him on every side, the conversation he'd had with himself before this night had even started. He told himself he was crazy then. And now...

"...Would that-" Maka stopped herself. She looked down for a second, this time to quell the sea of blush that had completely overtaken her. "...Would that be alright?"

Tell her _no_ . His own voice yelled at him for even entertaining otherwise. No, you _idiot._ This is how you lose your freedom. _This is how fae always get what they want._ Soul could feel his heart pump faster than it ever had before, and knew very well that wasn't a good thing. It made him sloppy. Reckless. Every second he looked down at her, the less he could feel himself start to care about their deal. Who cared about being a servant so long as he quelled his thirst? _No._ He couldn't let that happen. He wasn't going to be a pawn in Maka's schemes. He had to blow her off. _He had to-_

"O-of course!" Soul blurted out against his own better judgement.

He couldn't bring himself to tell her no. Not that face. Not the one that lit up the moment he told her yes. Soul could feel half of himself die as he did, but the rest of him couldn't have cared less. The half that enjoyed Maka's company and looked forward to seeing her at every opportunity he could, that was the stronger of the two. Thoughts of possible enslavement fell to the wayside as he realized if he said no, he probably wouldn't ever get to see her again. Or if he did, things wouldn't be the same anymore between them. He didn't want to lose her. She was his friend. His best friend.

"Really?" Maka asked for confirmation. She couldn't believe it either.

"Yeah," Soul nodded his head. He'd never felt any less composed than at that moment.

Her smile was infectious. A giddy fae grin erupted across Maka's face, and it quickly spread to Soul as well. Some mortar shells erupted into a colorful explosion close by, and they illuminated both of them for a brief time. Soul looked her down from head-to-toe and took in everything he was seeing. He wasn't lying when he'd said she looked good, but now he felt like he could appreciate her all the more now. The same could be said for Maka, who continued to focus on all the features of his face. They were enamored with each other.

"I guess..." Maka was the first to speak up. She didn't stop looking at him. "...We can figure out the details at our next meeting?"

Soul nodded at first, but then realized that meant they'd have to wait four more days till Friday. "I mean, I can always come over tomorrow...if you want?"

Maka quickly agreed. She beamed at him, and Soul suddenly found himself eager for the night to be over with so he could come see her again once more. He didn't know how to proceed going forward, though. They were stuck just staring at each other. The premise wasn't unwelcome, but they were still in the middle of a busy block party. Soul and Maka slowly realized this at around the same time, and they eventually broke away to scan the area around them. If anyone saw their little exchange, no one said anything. That didn't mean they weren't watching, however.

With scarlet hues painting both their cheeks, they turned and assumed their previous positions; facing the street, watching everyone else continue to enjoy their 4th of July night. Only, this time, they did so much closer than before. Emboldened by the veil of darkness, Maka let her fingers find their way over to Soul's. They laced together, and without a word the two of them continued to enjoy the night hand-in-hand. Quickened heartbeats and thoughts of what just happened were shared by both, and it made for a pleasant end to an already enjoyable first night out together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify this is not the end of the story lol


	4. Chapter 4

Maybe Ox Ford asking advice on how to court a woman was supposed to be some sort of omen for Soul.

It certainly seemed that way, and it definitely _felt_ like Soul was the one who should have been asking someone more experienced for tips on how to proceed with Maka. If there was anyone around older than two hundred however, he had no idea who or how to contact them. Thoughts of asking Harvar for advice briefly crossed Soul's mind, but he quickly nixed that idea. True the man was married, but there was probably little he could offer in terms of how to deal with a fae. Especially one as enigmatic as Maka Albarn.

It definitely didn't help that Soul suddenly felt like a teenager all over again. The day after the block party, he arrived as he always did. This time though, there was a noticeable anchor of nervousness that weighed down his every step. Thoughts of the previous night still lingered in his mind, and the image of an open, blushing Maka made every part of his body do something different; his head reeled, his stomach churned, his heart pumped, and...other places did stuff, too. Quite frankly, it'd been so long since Soul felt this way about anything that he didn't really know how to handle himself.

Besides walk up to her door like an idiot. Ring the bell. Wait patiently for her to answer. Then, a thought struck him; no flowers or anything? Was he _supposed_ to bring flowers? Did people still do that? They weren't even on a date yet though, they were literally just _planning_ to go out on a date. Still, she was a girl. Girls liked flowers regardless of the situation. Also she was a fae, and fae _definitely_ liked flowers. Fuck. It was too late to turn around and go find some...maybe if he got out of there quickly, before she had time to answer-

The knob turned. Soul froze. There, standing under the archway as the door quickly opened, was Maka. A rush of cold air blew past Soul, letting him know the A/C was running at full blast at the moment. Maka's clothes reflected this; instead of the tank top and shorts, she wore a large, loose fitting shirt and some baggy pajama sweats. Her hair was tied up in two pigtails on either side of her head, and in one of her hands she held up a mug of what looked like either coco or coffee. She smiled brightly at him, and Soul had never seen anyone more inviting in his life.

"I know it's not Friday, but I got you some PJ's." Maka grinned as she handed him the mug. It was definitely hot chocolate. "You up for a pajama party?"

Pajama party? Again, the thought of being a teenager all over again flashed across Soul's headspace. "Your house, your rules. Can't very well say no, can I?"

Maka's face lit up even more and she let him inside. The air was even chillier as Soul walked in, and it definitely spurred him to go upstairs faster and take a shower. That was the rule; new clothes require a bath. He was going to take one anyway, but definitely more so now that Maka's house was practically subarctic. He mused as he climbed into the shower that her electricity bill was going to take a beating this month, though figured it probably didn't matter much to her, anyway. That smile on her face told him utilities were the last thing on her mind at the moment.

Soul made it quick, as did Maka. It took him only a few minutes to hop in and out, yet he still found his new pajamas waiting for him folded neatly atop the closed toilet lid. Briefly Soul entertained the thought of Maka scurrying in there while he showered, and the blood in his veins started to pump just a _little bit_ faster. The voice in his head, the same one from yesterday, scolded him for letting him get excited. Excitement equaled hunger. Hunger equaled mistakes. Mistakes equaled enslavement. All true statements; Soul, however, couldn't give two shits about any of that at the moment.

He changed into a red checkerboard bottom, along with some socks and a new white t-shirt. Soul then made his way down, and found Maka in the living room. She had surrounded herself on all sides with sofa cushions, having constructed a fort out of furniture. Some cheap sheets were draped around the TV and covered the living room like a ceiling, creating an impressive base of operations for the evening. Truly, for the first time since Soul had met her, Maka's fae was showing. That chaotic energy that creatures like her possessed was on full display at the moment. He loved it.

She invited him into Fort Albarn, and he chuckled before getting down on all fours to crawl in with her. Some more blankets covered the bare floor, sparing them from touching frigid tile. Maka had made herself an impressive throne of throw pillows from which she lorded over her domain, though she saved a couple for Soul to prop himself against with. He did so lazily by a bowl of popcorn, the heat having long since left the kernels though it smelled appealing all the same. They got comfortable, and looked up at each other from opposite ends of the fort.

"You ever been to a sleepover?" Maka inquired, motioning to her handiwork.

Soul shook his head. "No, and I technically still haven't since I don't plan on staying overnight."

"You usually play silly games," she continued, purposefully ignoring his statement. "Wanna play twenty questions?"

Soul shrugged. Maka took that as permission to go ahead and ask away, which she did so eagerly. "Okay, me first. How'd you get that scar?"

Soul froze. His eyes widened in surprise and he immediately went to clutch the mark that hid itself beneath his t-shirt, or at least the part directly above his heart. In truth, the wound Maka was referring to carved itself clear from one corner of his torso to the other. It was a ghastly thing, complete with old stitch marks and ancient scar tissue. Soul stared at Maka incredulously for a moment as he tried to process how she even knew about it in the first place. Then, it suddenly clicked in his head and he couldn't quite believe his own realization.

"Are you spying on me in the shower?" he asked in disbelief.

Maka's face pinked at the implication. "N-no! You have a habit of throwing your shirt on as you're walking out and I saw it the other day!"

Soul's eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure if Maka was telling the truth or not, but then again that certainly _sounded_ like something he'd do. Honestly, Soul wasn't very self aware whenever he stepped into or out of the bathroom. Once that hot water hit him he usually spaced out, so anything before or after that was kind of a blur. In Maka's defense, she probably _wasn't_ lying now that he thought about it. Still though, he couldn't, or rather _wouldn't,_ let the image of Maka trying to sneak a peak of him in the shower go. It was equal parts unnerving and...kind of exciting.

He'd pay closer attention to himself in the future. In the meantime, he supposed the cat was out of the bag. "I got it when I became a vampire."

"When you became...?" Maka trailed off. She thought about her words more carefully this time. "...How exactly does a human even become a vampire-?"

"My turn," Soul held up a finger, both to stress his point and silence Maka. He smirked at her obvious annoyance. "I know the game. You ask one, then I ask."

Maka rolled her eyes, but relented all the same. She leaned back in her chair and motioned for him to go on. "What's the deal with your magic? How does that work?"

It was something he'd wondered about since he'd first met Maka, but never really found the opportunity to ask her about it. Soul knew a little bit about fae, though that was mostly from secondhand accounts; they weren't as common as vampires, which weren't even that common to begin with. He wanted to know more about her powers. More specifically, he hoped she might give him some insight into these contracts of hers. How they work, if there was a way to get around them or not, and anything else that might be useful to him.

Maka looked up thoughtfully. "My magic depends on how close I am to the fae realm. The farther away I am, the less I have."

"So inside your home...?" Soul trailed off as Maka was already nodding yes to his unspoken question, "...and outside it, you don't?"

Maka scrunched up her face, "Not necessarily. Old trees like the one outside are portals to the fae realm. I have magic around them, too."

"But what can you _do_ , exactly?" Soul continued to dig. He realized this was technically more than one question, but kept going. "Are there rules?"

"Yes, but they're undefined," Maka revealed to an increasingly confused Soul. "I know that sounds oxymoronic, but that's just how it is with fae. We're chaos."

Soul sighed and shrugged. He supposed that was as close as he was going to get to an actual answer, at least for now; Maka slid down the length of her seat and scooted in a little closer to him. She rested her head on a close fist and stared up at him with a lazy grin on her face, much like one he would normally give her. That was Maka's not-so subtle way to tell him it was his turn to answer a question now, which he supposed was fair. She admittedly allowed him more than one, though he doubted it was out of the goodness of her heart.

"Humans who drink the blood of a vampire become one themselves," Soul answered promptly. He leaned back and reached for a handful of popcorn.

"Really? No biting involved?" Maka tilted her head as Soul shook his. He stuffed his face as Maka continued, "why would anyone willingly do something like that?"

"Well," a lump ran down Soul's neck as he swallowed. "Usually one of two reasons. Either you're about to die, or you want to live forever. You can probably guess my reason."

Soul sighed and let his head roll backwards. He stared up at the blanket ceiling that came with inches of his nose and occupied himself with trying to see through the stitching. It was the only thing he could think of that didn't involve looking back at Maka, whom he _knew_ was currently looking at him with a sad sort of face. All he did was answer her question. He wasn't looking for any sympathy out of it, especially not for something that happened well over two hundred years ago. It was such a distant memory that he hardly even remembered the details himself, anyway.

"Can I ask how it happened?" Maka asked lightly, as if she were stepping around a landmine.

"That's two questions," Soul shot back quickly. He leered down at her from the corner of his eye, "My turn."

Maka flinched. She retreated back to her spot and remained quiet for a moment. "I'm sorry. That was rude of me to ask."

Soul stared at her stoically. Then, slowly, a smile started to chisel away at his face. "No worries. I just don't want to talk about it right now."

He meant to ease Maka's misplaced guilt, but Soul could tell she still felt bad about asking. The excited energy Maka had at the beginning of the night had taken a nosedive, and Soul couldn't help but to feel bad for making _her_ feel bad. The crazy part was that he didn't even do anything, and yet he still felt responsible somehow. Maybe that was the fae in Maka working her magic. Then again, maybe he was just a sucker for a pretty face. More than likely the latter; he had the perfect opportunity to ask her more about her magic, but ended up relenting in the end.

He'd give her an easy question instead. Cheer her up a bit. Soul leaned forward and grinned lazily, "How many boyfriends have you had?"

Maka's eyes immediately shot up. She blushed, and underneath Soul's amused gaze she ground out, "I don't know...a few? It's hard to keep track."

"Because of how old you are?" he prodded, to which Maka reluctantly nodded. He waited to give her a second before continuing, "which is how old, exactly-?"

"How many girlfriends have you had?" she promptly cut him off. At first Soul glared at her with annoyance, however she held up a finger to him similar to how he'd done to her before.

Soul stared at her for a second, before he eventually relented with a chuckle. His reaction seemed to give Maka some relief, as a reserved smile spread across her lips quickly after. She didn't want to talk about her age. The topic was off-limits apparently, the same way Soul wouldn't talk about his scar. Both had their boundaries, and so long as they respected one another then everything would be fine. Soul still very much wanted to know, of course, but he figured Maka would reveal her age when the time was right. At least he hoped so, anyway.

"Zero," Soul answered with a knowing smile. He knew what Maka's reaction would be.

"You're full of shit!" she replied incredulously, much to Soul's satisfaction. "Be serious with me, Soul!"

"Plenty of one-night stands," he clarified, "but no girlfriends. Can't really be with someone you'll munch on later, right?"

Maka hesitated. She seemed to consider something for a moment. "You've never been with anyone, though? Not even another vampire? "

Soul snorted in pure amusement, "I told you before, vampires are assholes. At least the ones I've met. Not a single one yet that hasn't tried to kill me."

" _Kill you?_ " Maka gasped. A look of pure horror swept across her face as Soul nodded casually in confirmation. She couldn't fathom why anyone would try to off Soul.

"Competition," he answered plainly. "Most vampires don't restrain themselves like I do. The less vampires around, the more blood they get to drink. We're selfish like that."

The subject was a morbid one, and yet Soul couldn't stop himself from smiling at all the faces Maka made as she processed everything he told her. He'd had plenty of time to come to grips with the intricacies of being a vampire, and sometimes he failed to remember just how fucked up it could be sometimes. Fae weren't especially confrontational, as far as he'd seen. They had their moments, but for the most part liked their peace and quiet. Vampires were the complete opposite; maybe stumbling into eternal life made them all cranky or something, or maybe hunger eventually just drove them all insane. Regardless of the reason, creatures like Soul were not pleasant company to keep, at least not for long periods of time. He was definitely the exception, not the rule.

Maka could only shake her head. "I'm really lucky I met you, then. Otherwise I would have just assumed all vampires were terrible."

"Yeah, I remember you saying that," Soul smirked as he thought back to the day they met. "Can't hardly blame you, though."

Maka smiled back. She glanced at the floor, then at Soul. "Still, I can't believe you've been a bachelor all these years."

"Yeah? Why does that sound so surprising to you?" Soul feigned ignorance through a mile-wide grin.

"Because," Maka played along. She scooted forward. "You're quite the catch, Soul Evans."

Suddenly, the constantly running A/C didn't quite seem to cut it anymore. Underneath a veil of sheets, heat bubbled up between the sole occupants of Fort Albarn as Soul and Maka continued to stare at one another. Sweat started to bead through grins and smiles, and it didn't take long before the space between them quickly started to close. Loose fitting pajamas only added to the melting pot they found themselves in; shirts stuck to sticky skin and gave each other a better view of their respective bodies. The air became heavy, and the sound of their breathing became quick.

"Glad you feel that way," Soul admitted. It was a genuine statement.

"Can vampires charm people?" Maka asked playfully as she stared into his eyes.

"Yup," he revealed, much to Maka's obvious surprise. He gave a devilish grin in amusement.

"...Why am I just now finding this out?" she raised a brow. "Have you been charming me this whole time?"

Soul chuckled a little as he scooted in closer. "It only works on humans. Besides, I don't need magic to make a woman swoon."

Maka pursed her lips. She had a tendency to do that when she was annoyed, much like at that very moment, but the only thing Soul could focus on was how damn good Maka looked when she did so. Maybe that was by design. He wouldn't put it past her to know _exactly_ how she looked to him right now, especially when she shifted on all fours and crawled to him like a cat to fresh prey. Soul couldn't help but to trace the outline of her curved body; all the way from one end to the other, ending in pink lips and rosy cheeks. It drove him wild.

"Maybe you're right," Maka breathed. Giant green eyes captured Soul and refused to let go. He kept grinning.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Soul knew exactly what. He wanted to hear her say it; like icing on a cake he desperately wanted to eat.

"Right now..." Maka couldn't come any closer. They were practically in the same space. "...I'm thinking about how badly I want to be my new servant's first girlfriend."

Soul stopped. The moment Maka mentioned the word servant, he couldn't help his grin from outright falling off his face. She was teasing him. Everything in the way she looked and how she talked told him that Maka was just playing along with the mood. She was kidding. She was trying to be sexy. He liked that. He _loved_ it. Why now all of a sudden it bothered him so much, he had no fucking clue. The voice in his head that had shouted at him for two days straight was nowhere to be heard. This was all him, now. He was the one who was suddenly averse to the word; _servant._

There was no hiding it from Maka. She could see him pull a complete one-eighty, and the look in her eyes shifted when she realized the mood had been thoroughly killed. She stopped her advance and just stared at Soul, who in turn stared back with a jumbled mess of emotions in his eyes and face. He opened his mouth to apologize, but found the words just wouldn't come out. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to say; sorry for not wanting to be your slave? Again, it was a joke. He knew it was a joke. It was totally a joke. Right? Right...?

Soul's stomach started to churn. At first he thought it was just because of the awkward situation he found himself in, but then he quickly realized it was much worse than that. Perhaps the sudden stress and excitement had stirred something inside him, because all of a sudden his vampiric thirst had come back with a vengeance. A queasiness overtook him, and a different kind of sweat suddenly started to bead at his brow. On top of him having to figure out what to say to Maka, he also now had to keep himself from making the biggest mistake ever. The slice of cake he wanted to partake in moments before was mere inches away from him, along with a veritable eternal life sentence looming just underneath the surface. The ultimate insult.

Maka had no way of knowing all this. She was too busy looking thunderstruck at his sudden retreat from her, and she scanned Soul up and down to figure out what was wrong. Maka quickly came to a conclusion; whatever it was specifically, she'd never fully reveal it. The only thing Soul knew after that was he suddenly found her coming at him once more, only this time she crawled well beyond the walls of his personal space. Soul's eyes grew wide as he found himself leaning back to accommodate her. Maka trapped him on both sides with her arms, and threw her face right up into his. The fort felt claustrophobic as there was no longer space for Soul to breathe. Maka consumed him in every regard. His attention, his essence, everything.

Emerald pools were wide and open as if to let him in. Even amidst reluctance and hunger, Soul wanted to do nothing more. "Can I kiss you?"

Air rushed through Soul's lungs as he panted like a dog. It took all he had to stay focused. "...Why would you ask me that?"

"I don't want to disrespect a guest," Maka replied quietly. Maybe that was supposed to be cute. To her credit, it was.

Soul's head spun. He couldn't think straight anymore. "...What makes you think I'd find that disrespectful?"

"It is if you don't want it," Maka brought her lips to his, stopping just shy of embracing. "Do you?"

Everything about Soul stopped; his thoughts, his heart, his pulse. He nodded. "...I do."

Maka blinked, then went in. She closed her eyes as her lips found Soul's. He found himself unable to do the same; Soul wore a thousand-yard stare as the feeling of Maka's breath and tongue mingled with his own. The form of her on all fours in front of him, back arching as she moved her head ever so slightly, was enough to finally get him to focus all of his attention on her. His brain was empty at the moment. All he could do was close his eyes and repay every soft stroke and movement of her lips. Her taste did nothing to quell his hunger. That was fine.

The smell of her. The touch. The taste. It was all more than enough for Soul. He opened his eyes again after the longest minute of his life. He wanted to gaze on her form one more time, but found Maka doing the exact same thing to him. Air escaped him, escaped her, and they both came to the same conclusion. Soul pushed forward; Maka let him, and she fell backwards onto the cushions behind her as he landed in place on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He slid a hand underneath her oversized shirt and felt soft skin for the first time.

Maka moaned in approval, and at that point Soul knew he was fucked. This woman, this _fae_ , had him in the palm of her hands and he didn't even care. A deep ache in the pit of his being begged to be sated, but he suddenly found it very easy to ignore. Whether or not Maka was joking, whether or not she really hadn't the faintest clue as to why he was upset, it didn't matter to Soul anymore. Vampires couldn't be charmed. Not by magic. Yet, nothing he thought or did could pull him away from Maka. Despite his gut and every other part of his body screaming at him to get the hell out of there, Soul refused to obey. The only thing he would listen to was every one of Maka's silent commands to keep going. Kiss her more. Touch her. Caress her.

She finally got what she wanted out of him. Whether that was a companion or servant, Soul couldn't yet tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't planning on writing this chapter, hence why it's shorter than the others. More soon to come!


End file.
